katiejames photography

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2012-02-14T14:55:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is all about love. Love of spouses, love of sweethearts, love of partners, love of parents, love of teachers, and for children, "love" for other kids in your class.

I have attended many, many weddings and my favorite "love" quote comes from the Bible. Most specifically 1 Corinthians 13...I know many of you have read it, heard, or maybe even have it memorized, but I believe that it bears repeating. I'm mixing it up a bit here and using the Message's version:

"...No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies."

As a wedding photographer, children's photographer, and family photographer, I have had the opportunity to shoot a lot of images that portray love. Here are "few" of my favorites (there ended up being "quite" a few!!!):

Valentine's Day Gifts for Him

2012-02-13T10:31:00.001-06:00

This is a very late post, but if you're like me, you've put off your Valentine's Day gift hunting!! I've perused a few other blogs and scanned the internet to try to come up with a list of gifts for the "Him" in your life for Valentine's Day!!

I'd love to hear your best and worst Valentine's gifts ever! Just post them in the Comments section. ;-)

1. Rent his favorite car for the day...don't forget the rental insurance!

2. Glow-in-the-Dark Corn Hole

3. Beer of the Month Club!

4. Red Neck Wine Glass - DIY - glue a candle holder to a Ball Jar...and voila!

5. Premium Poker Set

6. For you married folks - a print to make him seriously LOL!!

7. T-Shirt of the Month Club

8. Hot Rod Heated Travel Mug

9. Licensed NFL Grill Cover

10. A pocket knife

Jessica & Cory

2012-02-02T13:31:00.000-06:00

Jessica and Cory DeShaw got married last fall in Keokuk, Iowa. Jessica was a beautiful bride - her hair, dress, flowers -all was just amazing! And Cory's wedding gift for Jessica was one of the most creative I've ever seen!

We had an absolutely gorgeous day to shoot and we took advantage of Rand Park on the good ol' Mississippi!

Instagram Photo of the Day!

2012-02-01T13:04:00.000-06:00

Puppy Love!!

Dad's 60th Birthday!!!

2012-01-28T11:46:00.000-06:00

Whoo!!! It sure has been awhile. I don't know about you, but the holidays were crazy and life hasn't really slowed down for me since then.

Before I update more katiejames images and news, I need to tell you about my last week. My dad turned 60 and he, my mom, and some of their friends all met in Nashville to celebrate him. My house was homebase, and we all really had a blast.

I recently joined Pinterest (I stayed away for a long time, but just couldn't resist the temptation anymore) and found the most amazing idea....so I stole it. I contacted (with Mom's help) a bunch of Dad's friends and acquaintances from his high school days through today. I told them that I was putting together "60 Years of Memories" for Dad, and I'd love their recollections.

It turned out awesome, and it was such a fun surprise and gift for Dad!! I think I enjoyed reading the memories as they came in as much as Dad did.

My Dad is one of the most amazing men I have had the pleasure of knowing. As we became adults, he mastered the art of transforming into our friend and not just our parent. He is full of fun, integrity, honesty, and he has been a living example all my life of the love of Christ. I love you, Dad!!

Aidan's Bday Party

2011-11-11T10:45:00.000-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to photograph Aidan's 2nd Birthday Party. It was at an awesome bookstore in East Nashville: Fairytales. If you live in the Nashville area and haven't checked out this kid's bookstore, you really need to do it!!

Aidan was adorable and all the kids had fun - painting, playing, eating cake!! It was everything that a 2nd Bday party should be!

Diggs'

2011-11-10T12:00:00.000-06:00

I met Josh, Lindsey and Steven the first time when we met for our family portrait session. They were so fun, nice and genuine!! Josh works at a church here in the Nashville area - as we got talking, we realized we know some of the same people. It's always fun to realize what a small world it is!

Steven has GOT to be one of the cutest 6-month-olds I've seen in a LONG time!! He had amazing red hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and the most charming little smile!! Josh and Lindsey-you've got yourself a heart-breaker there!! ;-)

I'm already looking forward to the next time!!

Dallas, Jenii, & Carter - not to mention the rest of the fam!!

2011-11-09T12:00:00.002-06:00

Since Paul and I moved to Tennessee, we have been blessed with some amazing neighbors!! Dallas & Jenii live a few doors up from us with their adorable son, Carter. I love having them for neighbors - not to mention the friends they have become. They are fun, hilarious, kind, thoughtful - just GOOD people!!

For the last 2 years, I've been saying we need to do a family portrait session - well, we finally got around to it! ;-) Jenii's whole family came, and we had a blast at Percy Warner Park. I can't wait until next time!!

The Wood's

2011-11-08T09:53:00.000-06:00

I love best friends!! To me, they are the kind of friends that it doesn't matter how far apart you live or the amount of time in between seeing each other - whenever you get together, it's as if you were never apart. I have several friends that I put in this category - and they are all from different epochs of my life.

Heather is my best friend from highschool. We went through the big hair faze together, watched Dirty Dancing and Goonies for the first time together, and went to Homecomings and Proms together.

She still lives in our hometown and has married an amazing man, Steve Wood, and has four extraordinary children - Hannah, Halee, Hayden, and Hattie. I love her, and I love the woman, wife and mother she has become!!!!

I also love that every year or so we get to do a family portrait session!!!! ;-)

The Rose's

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how much a baby grows in 2 years!! I first took pics of baby Ryan in 2009 - you can see his first blog post here.

Ryan has grown up to me just an adorable little boy. He was so much fun - we were on some land just outside of Keokuk and he had a blast running around, throwing sticks, finding nuts - all things that little boys love to do. :-) He's also one of the cutest little Hawkeyes fans I've ever seen!!

It was also awesome seeing Heather and Josh again. They are great with Ryan and I already can't wait until next time!

DJ, Leecie & Fam

2011-11-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

While in Keokuk, I got to see, hang out with, and take pics of another cousin of mine by marriage. DJ's mom, Linda married my Uncle Steve quite a few years ago...to be honest, I have no idea how long it's been now, but it's been awhile! ;-)

DJ has two kids, Natalie and Jacob and he's married the wonderful Leecie, who also has two kids, Dylon and Hallee!! Up until our family portrait session I had not got to hang out with Leecie, Dylon, or Hallee much - let's just say I can't wait until the next time I get to see this part of my extended family. I had a blast and I think DJ did an awesome job picking out a wife!! Natalie and Jacob are awesome and growing up so fast (Natalie, did I ever tell you I was at the hospital when you were born???? Hard to believe you're already in 8th grade!!!).

Looking forward to the next time I can see all of you!!

Sara, Aubrey & Alivia

2011-10-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

Sara's mom, Cheryl, and my mom were best friends when we lived in Carthage. It was so awesome to see Sara and her two little girls (not to mention Cheryl!!). I was honored when she asked if we could do a family portrait session while I was in town.

Aubrey and Alivia are adorable, awesome, and hilarious!! Aubrey is at the age that she loves to pose it up for the camera, and Alivia is at the age that she likes to be ornery. One thing I love about the ornery little ones is that they give me some awesome personality shots. When she's older, it'll be fun to look back on these and see exactly what she was like. ;-)

Zack, Amy, & Blaker

2011-10-28T11:52:00.001-05:00

I grew up living about 30 minutes away from my cousins. There were two of us (my brother and I), and four of them. The 6 of us were so close growing up - we went to the same church, and at least every other Sunday we all ate Sunday Dinner at Nana and Papa's. I hate to guess how often we spent the night at each other's houses!!

We have all grown up, and we live all over - Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa - but when we have the opportunity to get together it just feels right. It feels like we still live close together - though we'd probably have way too much fun if we did! ;-) I love that my family is like that!!!

While in Keokuk, I got to shoot Zack's family (Zack is the youngest of the 6 of us - I'm the oldest). Zack is married to the wonderful Amy (Zack married himself a winner. The complement each other perfectly, and I LOVE seeing them together!) and they have a son name Blake. Blake is awesome, hilarious, and adorable at the same time.

Sure do love you guys!!

Blake playing indians with his cousin

Another Indian cousin ;-)

Blake showing me his bull ridin' moves!

The Lane Frost wave

The Murray's and the Palmer's

2011-10-25T11:00:00.005-05:00

I think I've said this before, but one of my favorite things about being a family portrait photographer is getting to see the same people every year. It is SO fun to see how each family grows and changes.

The first time I shot these families, Melissa and Cory were pregnant, then I got to shoot Bailey as a baby, and this year as a toddler!!

I also had a personal first on this photoshoot - Snaps, Bailey's pony came to the park for pictures!! Bailey loves her pony and it was so fun to take photographs of the two of them - not to mention the rest of the fam (David, Teresa and Andrew!!).

Lowery's

2011-10-25T11:00:00.002-05:00

The Lowery's have made my blog a few times...I'm pretty sure I did a wedding blog of them... and then I got to take their family portraits when sweet Eden was less than a year old.

Brian, Sarah, and Eden have moved to Indiana, but it worked out perfectly to take their family portraits on my last sojourn in that State.

They moved to Indiana to plant a church, which officially launched just a few weeks ago (Reunion Church) If you live near Plainfield, IN, you should really check it out!

Eden is a bundle of energy these days and she is such a sweetheart. She had a GREAT time picking flowers (which we only let her do b/c it was the end of September and they were still the summer flowers), running around, and playing at the park. I had a wonderful time catching up with all of them. Thanks you guys!

Micah Grace

2011-10-21T11:00:00.001-05:00

My most wonderful neighbors had a baby girl a few months ago (she was either born on July 30 or August 1 - I can't remember!). She was 6 or 7 weeks early and is such a tiny little bundle of joy!! Her mama let me watch for an hour a couple weeks ago, so of COURSE I had to take my camera...and my new newborn tutu!!! She was such a little sweetheart! Was perfect for me while her mama was out running her errands. Can't wait til next time, Mary! ;-) Thanks for giving me the opportunity to babysit!

Abigail and Jacob

2011-10-18T14:34:00.001-05:00

Do you remember the engagement portrait blog post I did a few weeks ago? (David & Amanda) Well, Abigail and Jacob are David's niece and nephew. The were so much fun to photograph...as you can see, Abigail was posin' it up for me. Jacob, on the other hand, took a little more warming up. Once we got into the knock-knock jokes, it was all good! ;-) Thanks, Angela for bringing them over to Autumn's!!

p.s. Remind me I need to learn some new knock-knock jokes. I only knew ONE!! Better yet, send them to me in the comments. I need to brush up on them for my next portrait session with a five year old!

The Simkins' Family

2011-10-13T13:08:00.000-05:00

Brian Simkins and I have been friends since college...I think it all goes back to a mutual friend (Nathan Gorsch) and a roadtrip (to OCC right, B?). Since then we have managed to overcome the many ups and downs that exist in any friendship over many years.

I had the awesome pleasure to meet his new wife, Libby, her two children, Charlotte and Jack, as well as their new baby, Eliot. I think Eliot was 6 days old when I met him. He is amazing! I was there for about 2 hours, and the little guy never closed his eyes.

I already can't wait til the next time I get to see all 5 of them!!

Jessica & Cory

2011-10-10T18:01:00.001-05:00

A couple of weekends ago I headed back to my home stompin' grounds (at least it was the vicinity) to Keokuk, Iowa. Jessica Miller and Cory DeShaw were married on October 1 at the lovely St. John's Church on 4th Avenue.

It was an amazingly gorgeous wedding - she chose exquisite fall colors for her bridesmaids dresses as well as the flowers. The day was perfect - we couldn't have asked for better weather!! And the bride and groom...well, let's just say that they were beautiful, fun, and I had an absolute blast at the wedding as well as at the reception.

I love my job! ;-) Thanks, Jessica and Cory for letting me share in your PERFECT wedding day!!!

David & Amanda

2011-10-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

David and Amanda are getting married in December, and I had the pleasure of taking their engagement photos in September. We had a blast. They are so much fun!! I definitely canNOT wait until their wedding.

David and I go way back - in college, I visited England with some friends of mine and we stayed with the Foust's for about a week. David was probably about 13 then!! Time sure flies.

A few months ago David brought Amanda to visit Nashville and I got to meet her. She is an absolute doll and perfect for David!! They are fun, adventurous, spontaneous, and a very good match for each other.

Enjoy the rest of your engagement, you two!

Ellefritz's

2011-09-29T09:08:00.000-05:00

You know those best friends that no matter how long or short a time between seeing them, it's as if you were never apart?? I have several of those, and Ben Ellefritz is most definitely one of them! He and I have been best friends since highschool. Several years ago (has it been 7 or 8 now??) he married the most amazing woman - if I would have dreamed up the perfect woman for Ben, Jes is even better for Ben than I could have imagined!!

About 3 years ago, they adopted Mia, and then about 1 1/2 years ago, they adopted Kya. They are two of the most precious little girls I've met! Ben and Jes are amazing parents, and I can't tell you how fun it is to see them in that role.

While they were visiting, we decided we needed to do a family portrait session (of course!!). I actually was shooting pics all weekend, so some of the images are definitely more candid and others are from the shoot that we did at Centennial Park here in Nashville.

Enjoy!

Kya and Carter - sprinkler fun!

Darren & Katie

2011-09-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

Since traveling photography seems to be the name of the game these days, today I'm highlighting a shoot from Bloomington, IL.

Darren and I go way back...let's see, Darren, how long has it been? It all began in Como, CO the summer of '98 maybe? Darren came out to see his best friend and we just clicked. We've been bf's ever since!

While in Bloomington, I got to see Darren and meet his lovely girlfriend, Katie. She is a doll and I sincerely wish them the best and can't wait to see them both again sometime soon!!

Thanks for your hospitality that weekend, you two!

John & Julia Reinert

2011-09-23T12:55:00.001-05:00

John and Julia got married this summer, and man did they have a fun time on their big day! Julia made my job so easy. She had the biggest smile on her face all day and her laugh is SO infectious that I was usually laughing as I was shooting. And John...John was so thrilled to first see Julia and then to be married to her - it was just beautiful!!!

Congratulations, John & Julia!! Thank you so much for allowing me the honor to be a part of your day!

What to Wear for Your Portrait Session???

2011-09-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

I know that “What to wear??” is always one of the first questions in your head when you book your family portrait session. Choosing the right colors and clothing styles can help make your family portrait the valuable piece of art it was meant to be.

The very first thing you need to consider as you are planning out your wardrobe is comfort. Make sure that you and your family are all wearing something that makes you feel good and that you feel good wearing. The confidence this provides will come across in your photographs.

I suggest wearing clothes from the same color family - keep in mind they don’t have to be exactly the same shade. Years down the road, you may no longer love the “matchy-matchy” look! Dressing your family in colors that blend together helps to keep the focus on your family and not their clothing. You also want to make sure that there is some contrast between the top and the bottoms.

I’ve been doing a bit of research, and it looks like deep purple and dark teal seem to be popular colors coming out this fall. When paired with bluejeans or khakis, you can create a fun combo of colors.

Below is an idea I put together for clothing suggestions. All items can be purchased at Gap and Old Navy.

Julia

2011-09-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

I'd love to start this post with the fact that I had a very weird summer. It was AWESOME, but weird - even for me!! I was gone from home for pretty much the whole months of June and July.

In July, I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina with my husband - he had to work there for 3 weeks, so I tagged along. I was going through a bit of photography withdrawal (at least of the people variety!!) when Fede and Silvina saved me. ;-)

They allowed me to photograph their beautiful daughter, Julia. Julia is 1 year old, and your typical Latina beauty...the gorgeous skin, the huge dark eyes...she was such a little charmer (oh....and her parents were also awesome! ;-) ).

In addition to photographing Julia, I also go to try out the new tutu that I had purchased from Heart Break Kids. So fun! Can't wait to do more...

Rev Dance 2011

2011-09-03T11:12:00.001-05:00

For the past few years, I've had the privilege of shooting Revolution Dance Studio's recital shots. It's a day full of fun, laughs, costumes, and lots of dance moves that I need to work on. ;-)

Thanks, Shelley and Tracy for having me up again, and an extra thanks to Shelley for hanging out with me for 2 days and providing poses for the dancers!

Kendall & Joci Wedding Preview

2011-08-15T13:17:00.000-05:00

Kendall and Joci got married this weekend in Bloomington, IL. It was such a fun and beautiful wedding!!! They are actually jr. high sweethearts that survived together through highschool, college, the Airforce and everything else life has thrown at them since then.

It was so awesome to be a part of their day...you could really tell they know each other SO well...and their families do as well. I don't know that I've ever had the opportunity to photograph a couple getting married that has been together for that long!

We had a little hiccup with a little rain, but it didn't stop the fun. We discovered that in some cultures rain is good luck and can represent cleansing or stronger unity in the marriage. The idea is that a wet knot is harder to untie and since marriage is often referred to as tying the knot....bingo!! The mothers of both the bride and groom were quick to point out that rain was also a symbol of fertility to agricultural societies...I'll just say that the rainbow was awesome and the cooler temps after at the zoo were perfect! ;-)

Congratulations and best of luck to you both, Joci & Kendall!

The Dominguez Family

2011-08-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

What a fun and oh-so-nice family!!! Robert, Bertha, Olivia and Jayden were so much fun. I took pictures last year of Olivia at Revolution Dance Studio's Recital Shoot. She was such a little doll then, and a year later, she still is!!! I also loved that I had an opportunity to practice some of my rusty Spanish on Jayden. ;-)

They were my first family I was able to photograph after my photography workshop, so I was able to try out some of my new techniques as well as play with a brand new lens. It was awesome!

Lindsey & Nick

2011-08-08T10:00:00.068-05:00

Nick and Lindsey Davids.

What an awesome couple, with awesome families, in an absolutely idyllic location.

I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot Nick's sister's wedding about 2 years ago in Michigan. It was so fun to get to know Lindsey a little bit there and then to be able to get to know her even better on her own wedding day! Lindsey and Nick decided to get married on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. It was a stunning location to photograph a gorgeous wedding. In the weeks prior to the wedding, quite a few hiccups were presented...but I can honestly say that despite the hiccups and difficulties that were there, it was one of the least stressful weddings I have had the honor to photograph.

Lindsey was calm and gracious, and Nick was well...Nick was himself which was awesome!! It was so incredible to see Nick so in love with the woman he had chosen to be his wife. We grew up together, and I have to admit I wasn't sure he'd settle down, but he sure picked himself the perfect woman to spend his life with.

Congratulations Nick and Lindsey!!! ;-)

Alex

2011-08-04T13:53:00.000-05:00

Whoo!! First of all, let me say I'm back from my 1/2 summer of world traveling, and though I LOVED it, it's awesome to be home.

Secondly, I've got some catching up to do on here. Let me introduce you to Alex. Alex was one of those kids that grew up around me when I managed the Ground Level Cafe in Naperville, IL. He has NO business being a senior - cuz that somehow means I'm even that much older. ;-)

Alex is an AWESOME guy. I really enjoyed the time that I got to spend with him. He has matured into such a nice young man, it was really incredible to see. I'm really excited to see what the future has in store for him!!

The Donahue's

2011-07-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

In the beginning of June, I was lucky enough to be able to spend 2 weeks at one of my most favoritest places...The Royal Mayan in Cancun, Mexico. We are blessed to go every year, and we see a lot of the same people. There is one group whom I lovingly call "The Pergola Club." I know when I walk through the doors of The Royal Mayan and see this group sitting in their normal spot under the pergola that my vacation is now official.

Shane and Diane (unofficial members of the aforementioned "Pergola Club") got to have their kids and grandchildren join them this year, and I was SO very thrilled when I was asked to photograph the whole family together. I really had a blast that evening on the beach and I wish that all of them lived closer to me in Nashville so that I could hang out with them more often. :-)

Hopefully I will get to see them all again next year in Mexico!

Jerry Ghionis Workshop

2011-07-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hola de Buenos Aires, Argentina!!

It's been awhile, since I've posted on here, but I'm back at it. I spent last week attending an absolutely phenomenal workshop with the very talented wedding photographer Jerry Ghionis.

It was eye-opening, emotionally and physically exhausting, amazing, exhilarating, awe-inspiring, intimidating, humbling, and encouraging all at the same time. I'm sure I could think of a lot more adjectives to describe the experience, but I'll stop with those. ;-)

I thought I'd show you a few of the photos I took on day 2 of the workshop. These photos were taken in the Gold Coast of Chicago, and the models are an amazing couple from Mexico City, Mexico. Hopefully you'll notice a few things done a little differently in these images!! ;-)

Happy May Day (a day late)!

2011-05-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

May Day is all about flowers. I love flowers!! Flowers always make me happy.

So, in honor of this flower day, I'm going to share some of my favorite wedding flowers....enjoy!!!

My favorite Iphone images...

2011-04-18T12:10:00.003-05:00

Several months ago, I jumped on the Iphone bandwagon. It was with a lot of thought and consideration, and overall, I'm thrilled I did it!! It takes some pretty good photographs...thought I'd share with you my favorites so far (for most of them, I used a free app called Instagram, and I LOVE it!!!)

www.katiejamesphoto.com

The Scotch...

2011-04-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I got to do two fun things:

1) Shoot the Conway family. Patricia was a friend of a friend -now my friend - here in Nashville. She is a DOLL, and I've loved whenever we've managed to be in the same place at the same time. Her wonderfully incredible family is visiting from Scotland, and I got to take portraits of them yesterday...SO amazingly fun!!!

2) I got to take photographs of the Conway's at Cheekwood here in Nashville. Now that I've been there, I'm kind of ashamed to say it's taken me almost 3 years to visit. It is absolutely gorgeous!! For all of you Naperthrill folks...it may become my new Riverwalk...only prettier!! ;-)

Hope you enjoy the images!!!

My Miss Clara

2011-04-08T10:53:00.001-05:00

Miss Clara is the daughter of my bestest friend, Kimberly Heavey. I don't get to see her near as often as I'd like, and when I do, I'm always shooting pics of her - she's just too cute! Hopefully she knows who I am even withOUT a camera around my neck or at my eye!! She is about to become a big sister in May, and I know I can't wait to meet her little brother. I'm sure she's even more excited than I am!!

So, this may be the last time you see a bunch of pics of Clara without her little brother in tow. ;-)

Playing with Grandpa's glasses

Bathtime!

Clara's little friend who met us at the train restaurant - so cute!

Love that 2-year old camera smile!!!

mmm...cupcake! how do we eat this?

Oh! That's how!!

Carter's First Birthday

2011-04-06T10:15:00.000-05:00

Paul and I have decided that we live in one of the friendliest and best neighborhoods EVER. We are just surrounded by absolutely amazing people.

One of those families is the Jackson family. Dallas, Jenni, and Carter. They are awesome - Jenni is an amazing hostess; Dallas is an amazing griller, and they both are awesome landscapers. ;-) In fact, they just helped us put in a brand new front yard - hopefully that crazy rain 2 days ago didn't destroy all the work we did over the weekend!!

They have an adorable son, Carter. I got to attend his 1st birthday party, so of course I had to take a few pics!!! Next week I'll blog some pics of when I got to babysit Such a cutie-pie!

Carter's bday cupcake!

Carter's little friend

Not so sure about this birthday cupcake thing!

That's a little better!

Mmmmm....frosting!!!

Lovin' the drums!!

The Edmonson's

2011-04-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

It is not a very common occurrence that I get to photograph 5 generations. I had such a great time shooting the whole family...from 5 week old little Maddy to her mama, aunt, very proud grandparents, and absolutely beaming great-grandparents, Nanny and Pop Pop!! I don't know how many favorite things I'm allowed to have, but I'm officially adding to that list photographing great-grandbabies with their great-grandparents. There is just something about the spectrum of life that is oh-so-beautiful to see...I love it!

I used to work with Maddy's Aunt Meredith, and it was such a pleasure to meet the family!! Thanks for having me over you guys!

Look how beautiful they all are:

Mitchell & Victoria

2011-03-29T14:59:00.002-05:00

Mitchell is actually one of the first people I met after coming down here to Nashville. He is one awesome guy...he's hilarious, gregarious, impulsive, caring, fun, a "Renaissance Man," quirky, and creative. I totally enjoy anytime I get to spend anytime with him!

Recently he got engaged to the beautiful Victoria. I have only met her a few times, but she seems to be the perfect complement to Mitchell. She is super sweet, kind, and caring. She is also a bit goofy, and I think she evens out Mitchell's rough edges! ;-)

Also involved in the whole process was the precious Kylar. She is Mitchell's daughter and she is a JOY!! Such a fun age, too. We had a blast running around all day.

I was lucky enough to get to photograph their engagement portraits. I had an absolute riot, and I really can't wait to do it again!

Enjoy my favorites from the day...I think we did a pretty good job of capturing their love for each other as well as their personalities!! Let me know what you think!

Greg & Melissa

2011-03-21T11:48:00.000-05:00

Greg and I go way back...he used to come in to the GLC daily for his coffee and scone fix. He always was a great guy - and he still is!! This was the first time I've seen Greg in probably about 5 years or so. He is awesome! And he married the most amazing and beautiful woman. Melissa is strong, sweet, thoughtful, gorgeous, and the perfect complement to Greg!!

Enjoy the first sneak peak of photos from their absolutely GORGEOUS wedding!!!

What are you doing this weekend??

2011-02-04T12:30:00.000-06:00

I'm heading to Atlanta, GA for a dog show!! Those of you that know me may think this is a bit odd, but my husband has started showing our whippets. It's actually a pretty fun experience, though aspects of it are scarily like the movie Best In Show. ;-)

Here are a few pics from the last dog show we went to. I need a little more practice at shooting like this - for some reason, a wedding reception is much easier for me! - next time I'll rent the right lens so I can get some awesome shots.

If you are going to be in Atlanta this weekend, give me a call!

Why this week was awesome...

2011-01-26T15:01:00.000-06:00

I had an awesome week so far!!!

Last Thursday, I got a phone call from my best friend's father-in-law. He wanted to fly me to Chicago on Monday to spend 2 days with Kim. Of course, I couldn't say no!!

We had a great time...hanging out...talking, laughing, shopping, eating, drinking coffee...did I mention laughing?!?!?, and hanging out with this little spitfire:

You will get more of her later...that's just what I've got so far! ;-)

Snowy Tennessee

2011-01-10T18:36:00.000-06:00

Wow!!! It's been almost a month since I last blogged. The holidays were a crazy fun whirlwind! I hope that you and yours had an awesome holiday season.

It snowed last night here in TN...and TN doesn't really know what to do with all that snow. ;-) That's ok. I've got 4-wheel drive! I went in to the bank today, and this is what I saw on my way.

The Frederick's

2010-12-11T12:00:00.001-06:00

Boys, boys, boys!!

Rita emailed me and asked if I could take some pics of her 2 boys and 2 dogs. It took us awhile to finally get our acts together, but I had a GREAT time with Danny and Matt. They are all boy, all the time. My favorite part was at the end of our shoot when they jumped in the fountain!!! If it hadn't been so cold, and if I hadn't had a camera around my neck, I totally would've joined them. ;-) I'm glad I didn't cuz I'd have missed one of my favorite shots: the wet boys sandwiching Mom in a giant bear hug!

Dorgan's

2010-12-09T11:23:00.001-06:00

The Dorgan's are one of my regulars. I've watched AJ and Sammy grow up for the last few years. It's amazing to me how time flies as I look back at the old photos. When I started photographing the Dogan's, Sammy could barely walk!!! And look at her now. And AJ...his personality is the same as it always has been, but he's growing up into such a little young man. Loving it!

The Chase's

2010-12-07T14:14:00.000-06:00

I love my family. ;-)

Zack is my first cousin. There are 6 of us cousins and we grew up really close. Every other Sunday (at least!), we'd all have dinner at Nana and Papa's after church. One of my favorite things was always going over to their house.

Well, Zack married the MOST amazing woman. Amy is awesome in her own right - she's fun, funny, organized, creative, a great photographer - and she's the perfect match for Zack. I absolutely love hanging out with them.

Blake is their 4 year old. He is adorably handsome, and one of the funniest little dudes I know. He is all about anything sports and anything rodeo. When he was 18 months old he knew the difference between football highlights on TV and a football game. A bit obsessive for an 18-month-old, I think, but it'll be fun to see what happens as he grows up!

Enjoy the pics of some of my favorite people!!!


This is his cowboy face

Another cowboy pose

I LOVE this one!!!

Ryan Argast

2010-12-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite photo shoots to do are senior portraits!!!

Ryan is a perfect subject. He is a musician, an actor, a joker, skinny jean and vest lovin', up for just about anything, and oh-so-photogenic!!

He made my job so very easy. There is something about those actor types...my only problem was that I took WAY too many shots of this guy. And WAY too many of those shots turned out awesome!!

Hafner's

2010-12-01T12:19:00.002-06:00

Another dancer family!!!! Yay for Revolution Dance Studio!!!

Rorre is actually the sister of the famous Tracy!!! ;-) Another wonderful family--do I get any other kind??? Rorre and Jason are a great couple and awesome with both of their children. Reece and Justin are just amazing, and so sweet with each other.

Reece is one of the company dancers at the studio, which means that I got to take quite a few pics of her back in June and got to know her pretty well. She is a fun, spunky, and adorable young lady. Justin is in a word, a sweetheart. He's addicted to iphones, and I think it's about time I call him for lessons. I know he could teach me a LOT about the games and itunes functionality. :-)

This may be my favorite shot of the day!!

The Rohlfs'

2010-11-29T11:36:00.000-06:00

Tracy...it's your turn to be famous!!! ;-)

Tracy is one amazing woman. She is the business brain behind Revolution Dance Studio in Plainfield, IL. I've been working with her the last few years, and she is a pleasure!! Her family is just as awesome as she is...not that I was surprised at all!! Lindsey, Ryan, and Jael were a blast to work with. And Scott, well, Scott just cracked me up!! He's perfect for Tracy. ;-)

Lancaster's

2010-11-26T11:26:00.005-06:00

The Lancaster's are another one of my "dancing" families. They were sweet, and gave me a much needed easy hour. As much as I LOVE photographing younger children, they take a lot of energy to corral. ;-) It was perfect timing in the day to get a family where the youngest kid was 14!!

Megan is now attending college, and Braden is in highschool. I don't know them well, but I think that Anne and Jim are great parents. Their kids love each other, and love them!! And, they haven't lost that "spark" either! ;-)

This one is my favorite!!!

The Bates'

2010-11-24T11:08:00.001-06:00

Wow!! Sorry it's been a week since my last post. My father-in-law has been ill, and my husband and I took a much-needed Anniversary weekend away in Memphis. But I'm back!

I hadn't met the Bates' before our shoot last month. Well, I take that back. I photographed Austin and Maddie at the Revolution Dance Studio shoot. I loved meeting Gina, Jimmy, and Logan!! Jimmy stressed me out a little bit in the beginning since he had a camera as big as mine, but it all worked out great. ;-) And Logan, well, Logan was awesome!! Such a fun age, personality, and a GREAT smile!!

I love when I get a group of kids who let me photograph their personalities! ;-) This was one of those...

Lebron's

2010-11-15T18:05:00.001-06:00

I seriously had such a good time shooting the Lebron's!!! I got to take dance pictures of Brianna's...it was so awesome to meet the rest of her family!! Her new baby sister came out as well as her folks' and grandparents.

It was awesome. We had a small breakdown of communication, but they were so great and accommodating for me!! They all showed up at the Riverwalk and we had a blast.

Baby Gabriella was everything that a one-month old is supposed to be!! Soft, sweet, and adorable. I can't wait til next time.

Chrisman's

2010-11-10T15:57:00.000-06:00

This is third year that I've been able to photograph the Chrisman's. Rubin, Amy, Brayden and Cameron. Actually, the first time, Cameron wasn't in the picture...but he came along eventually!! ;-)

They are such a fun family. Brayden has always been a bundle of energy and Cameron is following in big brother's footsteps!!! Rubin and Amy are great with both of them.

One thing I love about photographing families is watching how everyone interacts with each other. Brayden is a GREAT big brother. He's happy, funny, and loves to be the center of attention. Cameron wants to do everything his big brother does...but he's at the age that he wants to do it his own way!! Rubin and Amy are so awesome with each other and with their boys. You can see the love in their eyes for their whole family.

This one just might be my favorite out of the bunch!!

Prunty's

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-06:00

I had the distinct privilege this fall to photograph the REAL Superman. You can't even know how absolutely amazingly awesome that was!!

His dad and I went to college together back in the day. Er...I went to college, and Brian came over to "use" my notes when it was time to study for a test!! (Sorry, B. Couldn't help myself!!) Then, after college, we actually ended up working at the same place. Oh, the stories I could tell...but so could Brian, so I'll keep them to myself!! ;-)

Brian and Terri have 3 gorgeous boys: Carson, Mason, and Tyson. I won't tell you which one is Superman...it's a secret!!! ;-)

Kennedy's

2010-11-07T12:00:00.012-06:00

Oh goodness...what to say about the Kennedy's!??!!? Mark and Holly were one of my first EVER photo shoots. We were all in college at Western Illinois and they got engaged...so I offered to take their engagement photos. I really had a good time. Since then, Mark has delved into the world of photography. He's awesome...but that means he is rarely in any of the photos - he's always taking them!

It was so fun to shoot their pics again. Holly even brought the album that I gave her with her engagement shots in them. Of course, we had to re-create a few. ;-)

They now have two adorable children - Quinn and Mo. There were a blast. I can't wait to get to see them and hang out with them more.

Also - make sure you check out Holly's website. She makes some awesome tutus!!!

From the engagement shoot....

And the re-enacted shots w/ the newcomers. ;-)

Wilson's

2010-11-05T15:52:00.002-05:00

Theresa, David, Katie, and Maddie...so hilarious!! It was awesome seeing them. They spent the last 2 years living in Singapore, so I hadn't seen them for quite awhile. I know I've mentioned it before, but it's so fun to shoot families on a regular basis. It is fun to see how the kids change...the first time I shot the Wilson's, Maddie did NOT want to have her picture taken...even more than that, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. She's gotten much better at hamming it up to the camera. ;-) Also...make sure you notice the instrument shots....Katie's is AWESOME!!

Enjoy....

The Weece's

2010-11-02T11:37:00.000-05:00

The Weece's are such a fun family!! Jud works with my dad, and they live in one of the most beautiful places in this country - South Park, Colorado. I got to shoot the family as well as Janey's senior portraits. The leaves were so absolutely gorgeous this year we shot the pics at their house.

Chicago Preview

2010-10-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

Had a GREAT weekend shooting in Chicago. Took me a little while to get this post up because I had to take a detour on the way home. I'm back and at 'em though!!!

Enjoy the preview...more to come!!!

The Bates

Chrisman's

AJ & Sammy

Frederick's

Hafner's

Lancaster's

Lebron's

Gabriella

The Kennedy's

The Prunty's

The Rohlf's

Ryan

Zack, Amy & Blaker

Wilson's

The Nielsen's

2010-10-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I got to shoot the Nielsen's. They are a wonderful couple who have been married a couple of years and live here in Nashville. I really had a blast shooting with them. We went out to Shelby Park...sadly enough, it was my first trip out there. It was very nice, though I will say the roads were a bit confusing (right Alex and Kelli?!?!).

Alex and Kelli were so much fun. I wish I could've photographed their wedding. They just had a lot of fun together and love to laugh. Makes my job so easy!!!

Enjoy!